The Importance of the Law of Hospitality in Homer's The Odyssey
             The Law of Hospitality is an unwritten law in which a host cannot refuse a guest, whether it is a weary traveler, a nobleman, or a beggar. This law is not widely used today, if at all, but in the time of Homer's The Odyssey, this was considered a moral and ethical code. However, there were certain standards that were to be upheld in this agreement. The host could not refuse a guest or make him leave; at the same time, a guest could not mistreat or behave in an otherwise unacceptable way toward the others in the host's house. In the same respect, a guest could not overstay his welcome in the host's home. In The Odyssey, this guest-host relationship was shown in all of its forms throughout the book.
             There are three basic forms that the Law of Hospitality can be expressed in. Both the guest and host can benefit, or be unaffected by the visit. Another common situation that can result from a guest-host relationship is that the houseguest can affect the host in a bad way. Also, contrarily, the host can affect the guest in a bad way. All of these situations were present in The Odyssey in many forms.
             The Law of Hospitality is shown in what some may see as an unusual pair; a person of low status accepts a person of equal if not higher status. Eumaeus is the swineherd who used to work for Odysseus; who has remained loyal to him in his absence. When Odysseus, (disguised as a beggar) comes to his humble home, Eumaeus accepts him, regardless of the fact that he is of lesser status. Eumaeus treats him with the same respect as he would any person. When Eumaeus sees Odysseys disguised as the beggar, just barley surviving his dogs, he doesn't even give him a chance to speak before saying, "Come to the cabin. You're a wanderer to. You must eat something, drink some wine, and tell me where you are from and the hard times you've...